Usako, My Heart
by XxwithxoutaxwordxX
Summary: The memory of a loved one can never fade. Their memories can and will haunt you for the rest of your life. You will never be alone, whether it is night or day, reality or fantasy. For their existence alone may be your reason for breathing. But sometimes, you can get a second chance. A chance to get it right.
1. Haunted Heart

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters in this anime.  
**Rating: **T  
**Warning: **Extreme Sadness | But It Will End Happily! | R & R  
**Note: **I know its very sad, but I wanted to do it with a different type of ending. Scenes taken from SailorMoon R-The Movie.

* * *

"I've still got your face  
Painted on my heart  
Scrawled upon my soul  
Etched upon my memory, baby

I've got your kiss  
Still burning on my lips  
The touch of your fingertips  
This love so deep inside of me..."

_. . . _

_Dreaming._

_A dream is a release from reality. In which a sequence of images, desires, thoughts, sounds, memories, fantasies, and emotions pass through the mind during the process of sleeping. The content and purpose of a dream is never fully understood or remembered. But many have tried to grasp the meaning that a dream can leave behind, once a person opens their eyes to greet the day ahead. Parts of a dream can remain, with the person who has awakened, never letting them forget an image or desire. Many questions can arise from a dream, questions that may never be answered. But as it reoccurs, the person may already know and understand why they are being tormented with a replica like dream every night. Yet, the person can still refuse to come to grips and face the dream. For fear that the person in the dream will disappear forever with the dream itself. _

. . .

Rain poured from the open skies, covering the ground incy blanket. The thunder rumbled across the blackened sky, with a laziness unlike its viscous counterpart - lightening. Somewhere between the sun bidding its hills and valleys goodnight and the moon greeting his ever constant twinkling friends - the rain had begun to cry. Whether in mourning the loss of the warm the sun had brought, or simply because it needed to, no one knew.

But one thing was clear. The storm was welcomed. It cooled the torturous heat from the day. It gave part of the world a moment to sigh - like a tire with a leak continuously releasing air - in peace. However, though the world seemed to be at a momentary peace - not _everyone_ in the world could claim the same peace that the darkened world exhibited.

Silkened sheets wrapped tightly around him. They were trying their best to suffocate the man they had once claimed to warm and protect. He twisted again in the opposite direction. This only caused the sheets to grasp him tighter. They encircled him from every direction. The sheets were covering him in a satin coffin with the intent to never release.

Darien's chest constricted as he tried his best to take in the much needed oxygen. But it was no use. Again he twisted. He tried to stretch his arms out, but he couldn't. He couldn't do anything but sit there and let the satin sheets consume him.

He shifted again. Darien screamed suddenly while sitting up in the bed quickly. He blinked several times doing his best to let his eyes adjust to the darkness around him. Once they were adjusted to the darkness he quickly surveyed the room around him from his position on the bed.

_My Room. _

Darien heaved a sigh as his body relaxed slightly. He moved. Once more he twisted which in turn gave the satin sheets more dominance over his body. Darien moved, kicking his legs to try and loosen the satin sheets that gripped him mercilessly. The sound outside his window caught his attention. _Rain. _

He exhaled deeply before settling back down in his California king size bed. One exhale after the other escaped from behind his lips. His breathing began to lull him back into another restless sleep. Darien twisted, opening his eyes.

_Pit, pat. Pit, pat._

The rain outside continued to greet him by pelting the windows. Normally this action would relax him and help him return to sleeping but now . . . Now it made him restless. Frustration racked his body as the sound of the clock ticking rolled over him. It had to be the loudest sound in the world. Darien moved his head to the left a little more to look at the digital clock on his nightstand.

_2:30am. _

Sleep.

Something he needed desperately. Something he craved like nothing else. Yet at the same time….It was the worst thing out there in the world. Sleeping gave him something he no longer had in the human world while awake. But it also brought more pain than was ever imaginable.

In his sleep he could see _her. _He could be with _Her. _Sitting with her, holding her, dreaming about her, it didn't matter what they was doing. Why, because she was there with him. She was always in his dreams. One minute she would be sleeping next to him. Darien in turn would roll over, reaching for her, only to grasp the air next to him. But it didn't matter, all that mattered was the fact that he could be with her when he closed his eyes. Whether day dreaming or actual sleeping, the woman was always there. And that little fact was something he held onto, never to let go. But, Darien knew the golden haired beauty by his side would vanish as soon as his dark liquid fire blue eyes opened letting reality set in.

Though Darien couldn't see or feel her when he awoke, the effect she had on him in his sleep lingered long after the morning had come. She taunted him with everything she did. Her eyes haunted—no plagued him—every time he closed his eyes, he could see hers staring back at him. Her hands, sliding over his smooth bronzed skin—blood moving rapidly—leaving trails of liquid fire in her wake. Her kiss—tempting, yet never real—tortured him to the very core of his being.

But as time ticked on, Darien was beginning to lose his steady grasp on the world around him. The golden haired woman haunted him and she was beginning to take her toll over him. His body ached with fatigue. Though he went to bed like he was supposed too, not once was it ever restful. As always, he felt tired, sluggish, and more importantly jaded. The Chief at his residence had told him to take some time off. He just needed . . .

Time, that was what they said. To rest, to . . . Just let his heart_ heal_.

Though he agreed, it wasn't that easy and it just didn't seem to be working.

He was beginning to see her during the day, when he was wide awake. It was turning out that she was everywhere he looked. Just a glimpse and then she'd be gone. Darien had thought that with time, she would slowly seep into the back part of his mind, letting him move on. But no, she just wouldn't release her firm grasp, not even in death. No matter what he did, she would always—somehow—weasel her way into it.

Darien had known it wasn't entirely right, but he had still tried to forget her. But it was too late, she was everywhere he looked, in everything he did . . . She somehow was ever present, ever a part of him. She had been in his heart, for too long and now there was no way to get her out. Darien just couldn't seem to chase her from his mind.

Heaving another sigh thick with frustrations, Darien threw the covers back and let his feet hit the floor with a thud. The cold wooden floor sent shivers coursing through his body. Moving, he stood and began moving towards the bathroom. Darien flipped the switch on in the bathroom letting the light envelope him.

The door opened about 30 minutes later. Steam poured out, the clear air quickly began to attack, evaporating it. The cool air touched his body—wrapping around him—holding onto his now cooling bronzed skin. Water slid—from his jet black hair—down his neck, over his shoulder blades—which rippled as he walked—only to reach the towel that hung low around his waist. While some of the water chose to travel down and over his collar bone. Trails of water were left behind as the made there slippery trek—over his 4 pack—to finally reach the cotton towel.

As Darien turned the corner to his bedroom, he caught a glimpse of golden honey colored hair. He picked up speed—trying to catch the apparition, which was always _just _out of reach. His hand moved forward in a feeble attempt. But, as always when he got to the end, she wasn't there. A dead end. Darien's pace slowed to a stop as he rounded the corner and walked into his room. No one but himself was in the room. A broken sigh escaped from behind his lips as his head lowered. Walking to his closet, Darien began to dress.

Darien cut the engine of the black corvette. He sat in the car, unmoving. Unsure . . . of what to do.

White lilies sat bundled together in the passenger seat. Grabbing the flowers, Darien opened his door and stood. The door shut with a _click. _He squinted slightly before putting on his sunglasses.

The sun had finally begun to rise in the East. Hues of pink, yellow, orange, and red streaked the sky. Birds began to sing their happy tune as he made his way down the gravel stone path. The rain that had come during the night—now gone—had covered the hunter green grass with a shiny gloss.

All the while the world around Darien seemed to be oblivious to the pain he was currently feeling.

He stared down at the tombstone before him. The white lilies hung upside down in his slackened left hand. The long fingers on his right hand grazed gently over the top of the tombstone. Sadness began to fill his soul. He still needed her. She was his everything. The only reason he breathed was gone. So what exactly was keeping him here? Darien didn't know, but in all reality he didn't want to know either. As he continued to look down at the tombstone before him, his mind went back to that horrid day.

**. . .**

_The worst was over. She had been able to stop the comet before it self-destructed. The group was now left floating on the mostly destroyed comet. _

_Darien held his love in his arms, while the sailor scouts kneeled, gathering around their princess._

_Mars—the closest to the couple—shook Serena roughly. "Wake Up!" was Mars' watering cry as she continued to shake the princess before her. Tears began to slide down her trembling face. "You did it!_ _You stopped the comet."A sob tore through her throat and out into the open. More tears fell. "Sailor Moon! NOOOO!" Another sob escaped from behind her lips. "You said everything would be alright."_

_Mercury sobbed from beside Mars. Tears slid down her cheeks. Each one fell faster than the one before. "The moon crystal used all her strength." Her hand flew up to cover her face as she cried. "We can't lose her, we can't." _

_Sailor moon continued to lay, unmoving, in her lovers arms. Oblivious to the world around her that seemed too lost and hopeless without her. The once bright and ever present crystal—that sat on top of the bow on her senshi uniform—now lay tattered and broken upon her chest. The crystal that had once given her her essence was now gone. Her crystal blue eyes that had once held an enigmatic hue to them now were dull and faded. _

_Jupiter, who was kneeling off to the side, cried softly. "Wake up." A soft sob tore its way through her chest. She shook her head, "you can't leave us alone like this!"_

_Venus—who sat next to Jupiter—cried, as her head hung low. Tears dropped onto the rock that now kept them afloat thanks to Sailor Moon. "Don't go. You're the glue that holds all of us together."_

_Darien sat, unbelieving, with Serena in his arms. How could this be? The one he loved so much was gone. Tears shone in his dark hazy blue eyes. He leaned forward—hunching over her body in a protective manor—as he began to cry. He brought Serena closer towards him and kissed her cooling lips. His eyes closed. Darien pulled back. Nothing happened. His true love lay dead in his embrace._

_Crystal tears, one after the other, fell from the sailor scouts and the prince as they watched their lifeless princess continue to lay there._

**. . .**

He moved his sunglasses as he continued to look at the tombstone. Sadness deeper than the seas themselves was clearly evident in his eyes. Again he let his fingers slide over the smooth grave marker. A tear slipped down his cheek as Darien dropped to his knees before the tombstone. A sad smiled graced his lips as his bronzed fingers traced the etched in letters on the stone itself.

'_Serena Tsukino Shields  
Treasured Friend, Beloved Wife  
Forever Painted On Our Heart'_

Another tear slid down his cheek as he laid the lilies down in front of the grave. He stood, lingering slightly in front of the grave. For the last time today, Darien let his hand run over the top of the tombstone marker. The wind blew softly, leaves lifted into the sky as the wind carried them. His eyes closed, in what seemed to be actual peace. Darien let the wind slip around him in a warm comforting hug. "I love you, Usako," he murmured into the wind, letting the words be carried off.

Though he may try to rid himself of her presence, at the end of the day . . . Darien will always be glad she is with him. As she always will be. Although she may be gone in real life, part of her will remain. Why? because she will forever be painted on his heart, scrawled upon his soul, engraved within the corners of his mind, and etched in his memory.


	2. Broken Heart

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters in this anime.  
**Rating: **T  
**Warning: **Extreme Sadness | But It Will End Happily! | R & R  
**Note: **I know its very sad, but I wanted to do it with a different type of ending. Scenes taken from SailorMoon R-The Movie.

* * *

"Take back that sad word good-bye  
Bring back the joy to my life  
Don't leave me here with these tears  
Come and kiss this pain away  
I can't forget the day you left  
Time is so unkind  
And life is so cruel without you here beside me

Un-break my heart  
Say you'll love me again  
Undo this hurt you caused  
When you walked out the door  
And walked out of my life  
Un-cry these tears  
I cried so many nights  
Un-break my heart"

. . .

The tear slid down his cheek before crashing to the ground. That one single tear made its way through the grass and dirt to the other part of the casket below. The tear slid down the side, beofre wiggling its way in side. Moving up the side of the lifeless body, the crystal tear left a slight wet trail behind it. Moving quickly, the tear stopped on top of the crystal that sat on top of the lifeless chest. The crystal began to shine. A white translucent color began to fill the tiny space of the casket. Brighter and brighter it shown. The light covered every inch of the dark space below.

_Thump thump._

The light continued to shine brighter - if possible. It enveloped everything. Surrounding the girl in a warm grip.

Her skin began to turn transparent. Her eyes stayed close, while her heart began to beat. Her chest began to rise slightly, before falling again. Once again it rose, sucking in more air. Falling quickly before rising, even faster pace than before.

_"It's time, my child, time to return home. Rise up, and return to him."_

***Elsewhere***

"Why did he have to suffer without her for so long?" A calm, sorrowful water like voice questioned. She tucked an aqua like colored strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yes, why?" A short girl questioned. Her purple-ish hair swaying softly as she turned to the eldest of them all.

"The essence of time needed to return to normal. After the fight with Fiore 'time' needed time to return to normal. In a manor of speaking." The eldest informed from her position in front of the crystal ball. The garnet orb on top of the key-shaped staff glowed with a deep red hue as she continued to look into the crystal ball.

"But Pluto . . . look at him." The aqua colored hair girl motioned towards the crystal ball which currently displayed a picture of the broken Darien Shields.

A pair of arms wrapped around her waist. "It was necessary, Michelle. You know that."

Michelle leaned back into the embrace. "But Amara . . . look at him." Again she gestured to the crystal ball.

Sailor Pluto frowned. "I know, Neptune, I know. But it had to be done. With her there . . . time would not have healed correctly. That would have caused a ripple in time." She gave Neptune and Saturn a pointed look. "When she saved us all - good had the upper hand. If she would have lived, good would have taken over. Neptune, you know - as well as I - that the world must be in balance for the human race to live." Pluto paused to take a much need breath before continuing. "Then our princess would have been lost for forever. She would of had to give the crystal up all together, to heal the damage that would have been delt to the human race." She glanced back to the crystal ball. "If that would have happened . . . she would have never returned. This . . ." she motioned to the girl disappearing in the casket, "would never be. She would have forever been in that casket, never to return."

Saturn, Uranus and Neptune nodded. Knowing it was for the best. But it still hurt having to watch their prince in such pain.

"Rise Princess, Rise and return to you Prince. He needs you." Pluto continued to whisper to the crystal ball as their princess disappeared all together before them.

"When . . ." the words died on the edge of Sailor Saturn's lips.

"Soon, she will be with us soon."

**. . .**

_Pain._

_Pain is a physical and or emotional discomfort. A fundamental feeling that people try to avoid on a daily bases. A sensation that can range from a small amount intensity to an enormous amount. A feeling of great sorrow, great loss which leads to utter excruciating pain. A mental, physical, or emotional experience that can lead to suffering, tormenting, heartbreaking...pain. It can be defined in many ways. But the one that seems to always follow no matter what the circumstance is, is heartbreak. A loss of something that will never be gained back...no matter what you do. No matter what...this significant 'pain' will always remain. Never to leave your side, never to let you feel peace. Never letting you forget. It remains forever painted in your memory, scrawled upon your soul, engraved within the corners of your mind, and etched on your heart..._

. . .

It was raining.

Again.

It had been raining for a while now. And with each drop it seemed to rain harder than the drop before. The rain showed no signs of giving in, or slowing down. It was as if each drop was trying to mirror the painful on-slaught of war that waged within every cavern of his heart. It failed. Terribly failed. It was always raining. Or it could have been him. Darien had a never ending constant down pour in his heart and in his life. It always felt like it was raining every single minute of every day without _her_.

Pain that was all _this _man could feel anymore. The feeling of complete and utter pain - leaving for a short while but as always it returned. He had loved to sleep . . . knowing he would be able to see her, but no longer. She was gone. Gone from his dreams. And to put it truthfully he didn't understand. With the ability to no longer see her, all he could feel was pain. To where had she gone?

All of the people in Japan had searched and found cover. Everyone was protected from the hideous onslaught. Everyone but one man had sought cover. This one man, stood stubbornly out in the cold rain. Not caring. And in all truth and actuality he hadn't cared about anything in a while. So here he stood, cold and alone.

Just like any other broken man would have at this very moment. So here, Darien Shield stood, outside in this storm. Those tears, those forbidden tears falling down his cold wet cheeks, continuously. He didn't understand, no know longer cared to understand either. All he knew, was when it rained he would cry, cry for her.

He had thought that it would have started getting better by now, but no, no it hadn't. In his and anyone-else's opinion it had only gotten worse.

So Darien stood in the rain, stumbling about. Not sure where he was going, not really caring. Just letting his feet carry him to...where ever.

The pain began to ebb away, while being replaced by a numbed sensation. Was it the fact he had been crying for so long? Or the fact that he had been in the cold for to long?

Dark circles, deepened in color while the tears continued to fall. Not that you could tell in the slightest, but he hadn't been sleeping. In the beginning he had loved to Oh! how he loved to sleep. It was the only time he felt . . . nothing. But when he woke. It would always return. Never ending. But now things were different, he couldn't see her while sleeping. So he simply stopped.

Darien stopped walking. He stood at the entrance of the park. Why had his feet carried him here? Why? NO! it wasn't his feet, but his heart. It had been_ their_ favorite place. She always did love the sunset from the park.

He sat down on the bench. _Their _Bench. Memories began to pass before his very eyes. Their first kiss, was here, as the sun set. It was a spur of the moment. He had just leaned over to peck her on the lips. But her arms had made their way around his neck pulling him closer.

Darien smiled slightly in the rain.

Another memory passed before him. Him proposing to her. He had done that here too.

A sob suddenly escaped from behind his lips. He was breaking, on the verge of the edge. He just didn't understand! WHY? Darien ran his hands through his thick, wet black hair. His hands stayed in that position as he lightly tugged on his hair. He was simply loosing it. He moved slightly.

His hands were held out in a "why me" position. His face turned up towards the heavens above. His once dry grey t-shirt clung to his broad shoulders. He had forgotten his jacket. It didn't matter though. His denim jeans hugged his hips bones, knowing they would begin to sag once he stood, if he did that was. Black wing tipped shoes-they had been the closest to the door-shined as the rain raced down the sides to land on the concrete below. His heart beat sporadically as if trying to copy the torrent rain drops that fell to the ground.

His head raised high facing the sky. Silent screams hung on the edge of his lips, as if begging to be set free. Screams that begged to make someone take notice of this man who sat in the cold storm. These silent screams that begged, to make them see that the storm outside was nothing like the storm that raged within his heart, inside of his soul.

Another sob tore through his being. He didn't understand...he wanted to scream, not cry, but it was all he could do. Cry, only cry.

He opened his eyes, up towards the heavens above, not caring what could happened as the rain poured down on him. It didn't matter if something had gotten into his eyes, taken his vision. He let the rain do its worst. His eyes which had seen so much, behold so many things, now bore that of utter emptiness. The man that stood in this frigid -death like- rain was that of a broken man. His spirit lay torn from his very body, his soul tore from him too; both left on the comet, where his love once laid, now dead..

What was left of this man . . . was any ones guess.

The rain continued to pelt everything in sight.

Darien's body began to shake. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to gain some sort of comfort. Nothing. His body shook more, a sob erupted from his sore throat. More tears fell as sob after sob flew out of his mouth.

He didn't care if anyone saw him. He just...no longer cared.

His eyelids scrunched close, hiding hollow blue eyes from the world. He wrapped his arms around himself tighter. Darien leaned forward slightly. Protecting himself from the world. But why did it matter. The one he was supposed to protect from the world, he hadn't been able too, so why should he protect himself now.

Tears again mingled with the rain that ran down his cold skin. His hands balled into fists, on each side of his waist, as he was filled to the brim with pain. How could he have been so stupid? Pain mixed with anger, filling his very core. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter as the pain over powered the anger. All he could think about was her. This in turn caused more pain and suffering.

He moved his hand to cover his chest as the pain dug deeper into his soul. Darien's heart ached as it sank lower and broke into more pieces than he thought possible. _Her. _Never again could he see those beautiful eyes staring back at him. Or her smile and how it would start on the left side of her mouth and make its way across to the right side; never again could he see that. Nor the way her beautifully bright blue eyes would sparkle when light would hit it in just the right way. Never again.

Rain continued to pelt him.

His sobbing slowed to a stop as the numbness began to take over his being. Darien was numb -the pain, gone- to his very core. It covered the pain, like a warm blanket in the cool March air. It protected him, yet at the same time exacted its cruel revenge by continuing to remind him of the pain that was still held inside of him.

Darien continued to sit there in his own inner turmoil. His heart withering away by the second. He was emotionally dead inside. Darien was physically weak, no longer able to hang on to the clutches of reality. Lifeless, just like a doll. The darkness that seemed to surround him was...never ending. Life had lost its vivaciousness and bright hues.

Nothing but pain. Nothing more and nothing less.

He just needed something to ease the pain. Something! Anything!

_"Let's get you home. You're going to be sick, honey." _A voice slid over his frozen skin like warm honey.

Darien shivered slightly. Blinking repeatedly, trying to clear his vision. No use.

_"Get up, Dare . . . you are going to get sick."_

He stood - letting the cold hands guide him to a standing position before tugging him towards his apartment.

_"Dare, move faster . . . The rain is getting worse."_

Darien grunted in response but moved quicker as the hands continued to tug on him.

**. . .**

Darien groaned as he stepped into his apartment. _Sneeze. _He groaned for the umth time in between the time it took to get here from the park. The small cold hands still tugged on his bicep.

_"Dare! Get in here, NOW!" _The angelic voice continued to nag him repeatedly. _"Take the wet clothes off in the bathroom. Take a shower, while you're at it." _Suddenly the hands were gone. As the still somewhat blurry image disappeared into the kitchen.

_How does she know where to go? Wait! It is a she, right? Her hair was blonde! Why must you torment me Pluto! She's dead! Let me be, God I beg of you let me be! _Darien shook his head, ridding himself of useless thoughts. He listened to the voice half way. Shedding his wet clothes on the floor - leaving a trail to find him - as he headed for his bedroom. He vowed slightly to pick them up in the morning.

_Sneeze._

Darien groaned once more. He walked into his room nude; and headed for the dresser to grab another pair of boxers. Slipping on the silk boxers, Darien climbed into bed. He brought the goose feathered down thick blanket up over his frigid body.

_"Dare! I told you to take a shower! You're going to get sick!" _Again the melodious voice nagged him.

"Go away! Stop haunting me! Why? Why? Why won't you let me live in peace!" He yelled. "I should have protected you, but I didn't. I should have been there! I shouldn't have let you use all of your energy to save us! I should have help- . . ." His voice cracked as his yelling came to a sudden halt. He froze. A pair of coolish arms wrapped around his waist. _Vanilla? _Slowly he wrapped his arms around the apparition before him.

_"Dare, you know better." _Her voice was soft and calming. _"I wouldn't have let you help. It was my job." _She tsked him softly. Slowly she pushed him down to a laying position.

Darien sighed - not believing the voice for one minute. He rolled onto his side, "I should have protected you better..." His voice a mere whisper as he fell into a tormented sleep once more. His arms still locked tight around the apparition before him. His dark eyes hidden behind heavy eyelids. He snuggled the apparition closer - the scent of vanilla filling his senses all together. _It smelled like her. _He nuzzled his nose into the golden silk tresses. Darien's mind grew hazy as sleep took him away from reality.

Darien sat up straight. His body gleamed as sweat ran down his neck. His breathing heavy and sporadic. Darien's chest heaved with every intake and out-take of breath. Quickly he turned to his right as memories flood his mind. He heaved a dejected sigh. Darien had known it was to good to be true. There was simply no way his _heart and soul_ had returned to him.

Darien ran a shaky hand through his damp jet black hair. His heart broke once more. _But it had seemed so real, I was sure it had been real!_ He pulled on his hair slightly - _Ah! why did I let myself believe; even if only for a while why?_ His head hung low in defeat. Darien breathed in deeply. The scent of vanilla and chicken noodle soup filling his senses to the brim. _WAIT! Vanilla and Chicken Noodle Soup? _Darien stood from the bed - a throbbing pain set in his head. Quickly his slender fingers rubbed in circular motions on the temples. He groaned but followed the alluring scent.

Darien blinked - unmoving. _How can this be? _His heart beat slowed to an unnatural rate. A 5'4", long cascading blonde haired goddess stood in his kitchen. She hummed a soft tune - _their song_ - as she stood over the stove; stirring _something_.

Slowly Darien inched closer. "U-us-Usako?" He inched closer. Darien's hands reached out; as if to hug her, but knowing it was an apparition. His arms encircled her without touching her. Darien was to scared, scared that as soon as his arms moved closer - lessening the space between- she would disappear. Slowly his arms wrapped around the girl in between his arms. His eyes shut tightly - fear consuming him.

_"Dare if you squeeze any harder, I'm gonna break." _Her tinkling laughter filled the room.

_That's Usako's laughter._ Darien peeked down through one eye. "U-usako?"

The girl in his arms twisted around in the tight embrace. Her head cocked to the side, her long blonde hair falling down over his arms and down to her butt. "Yes, Darien?"

"I-it's really you!" The dull and faded dark blue eye color quicky returned to their bright multi-layered dark blue hue. All of the energy that had depleted once her death quickly returned. All of the nightmares that had plagued him with their images and reminders of her - disappeared. Darien lifted the goddess in his arms off of the ground. Quickly he turned her in a circle. A smiled that showed pearly white teeth graced his features - at the laughter that now filled the once silent apartment. God - how he had missed that laughter so much. Darien nuzzled his nose against her neck and in her hair. He inhaled the beautiful scent of vanilla. He sighed happily.

"Dare . . . Dare . . . the soup will burn." She spoke calmly, the hint of amusement evident in her voice.

He whimpered like a lost child as she tried to move away from his grasp. "No, Serena . . . I'm not letting you go."

She heaved a small sigh. "Then come with me."

Darien nodded softly and carried her to the stove. Once their he set her down. He moved his arms a little - she turned in his embrace. Darien hugged her waist and placed his head on top of hers. He hugged her tightly. He moved his head to rest on her shoulder - as he hunched forward.

"Darien - I turned the stove down, we just have to let it simmer for a while."

Darien nodded and lifted her off of the ground once more. He plopped himself down on the couch and pulled her with him - both laid on their sides. His left arm wrapped around her waist, while his right arms pillowed her head - his head leaned on the arm of the couch.

"Dare . . ." she twisted slightly - or at least tried to.

He nuzzled the side of her neck, "please . . . can we stay like this . . . please?" He pleaded softly while breathing in her vanilla scent. "Please."

Serena nodded softly and shifted before nestling into his embrace.

A tear rolled down his cheek, "thank you." He whispered softly - fear creeped around in the corners of his heart. Scared that when he once again woke, she would begone - that this was . . . just a dream.

Serena smiled as if a telepathic link had been set up between the two. "Dare, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here when you wake. I promise." She squeezed the arm holding her before moving her back closer against his chest. "I'm not going anywhere."


End file.
